Unit:

Culture Studies
Assignment title:
Culture Studies
Summer 2023 – Summer 2026

Important notes
• Please refer to the Assignment Presentation Requirements for advice on how
to set out your assignment. These can be found on the NCC Education
website. Click on ‘Policies & Procedures on the main menu and then click on
‘Student Support’.
• You must read the NCC Education documents What is Academic
Misconduct? Guidance for Candidates and Avoiding Plagiarism and
Collusion: Guidance for Candidates and ensure that you acknowledge all the
sources that you use in your work. These documents are available on the
NCC Education website. Click on ‘Policies & Advice’ on the main menu and
then click on ‘Student Support’.
• You must complete the Statement and Confirmation of Own Work. The form
is available on the NCC Education website. Click on ‘Policies & Advice’ on
the main menu and then click on ‘Student Support’.
• Please make a note of the recommended word count. You could lose marks
if you write 10% more or less than this.
• You must submit a paper copy and digital copy (on disk or similarly
acceptable medium). Media containing viruses, or media that cannot be run
directly, will result in a fail grade being awarded for this assessment.
• All electronic media will be checked for plagiarism.
Introduction

This assignment is worth 100% of your overall grade for this unit.

Task 1 – 75 Marks – 900 words

Comparative essay

Choose TWO (2) different countries. Typically, this will be your home country and your
‘destination’ country.

Compare and contrast how the cultural values and behaviours of each country have an
impact on the areas of:

• Education
• Work

Draw conclusions about how similar or different the TWO (2) countries are in these areas.

Task 2 – 25 Marks – 300 words

Choose ONE (1) of the following aspects of life online and compare and contrast the
negative and positive impact on society and the individual in a country of your choice.
Typically, this will be either your home country or your ‘destination’ country.

Social media
Online retail
Online news

Notes:
Think back to what you have learnt in class on this topic and what you have learnt about
writing a comparative essay. Identify what you want to write about and conduct research to
support your writing.

Write a detailed plan and check that what you will write about directly relates to the essay
topic. Keep checking and rechecking your work as you write, proofreading your writing for
spelling and grammar errors. Read the points below carefully before you start planning
your essay and check them regularly as you write.

Each of the points below explains how your essays can gain more marks.

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 Task 1
Preparation

• Consider the major cultural differences between the TWO (2) countries you have
chosen.
• Now consider how those cultural differences impact work and education in each of the
countries.
• Think about which areas are the same and which are different.

Comparative Essay

• Choose TWO (2) or THREE (3) major points of comparison for work, and TWO (2) or
THREE (3) major points of comparison for education.

If you were comparing cuisine in one country and in another you might consider;
portion sizes, how traditional the cuisine is, amount of meat usually eaten etc.

• In the introduction, state which countries you are writing about and which points you
are going to compare.

• Briefly state the major cultural differences between the TWO (2) countries.

• Compare each point in detail. Use your essay to explain how and why each area is
similar (or different). For example, if you were comparing cuisines, you might say that
more meat is consumed in the UK than in India, because many people in India are
vegetarian or exclude certain types of meat for religious and health reasons.

• Make sure you write the same amount for each subject. Clearly summarise this
information and draw conclusions from any discussions/comparisons.

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Culture Studies © NCC Education Limited 2023 - 2026
 Task 2
Preparation

Choose ONE (1) aspect on which to focus.

Undertake some research in that area.
Consider the positive and negative aspects carefully.
Make sure you are not just thinking about your own opinion; use your research to test
whether the points you are planning to make are supported by reliable sources. If not,
consider how that might change your view.

Essay

• Choose TWO (2) negative points and TWO (2) positive points about online technology.
• In your introduction, state which aspect you have chosen to focus on and the points
you will consider.
• Explain each negative and positive point. Make sure you write the same amount for
each point.
• Compare and contrast the positive and negative points.
• Clearly summarise your findings and draw conclusions from your comparisons about
whether the impact of life online is generally positive or generally negative.

For Task 1 and Task 2

• Use research to support your comparisons/ statement. For each comparison or

statement you make, use an example or other research to support what you say. Your
essay should clearly show where your ideas and arguments come from. You need to
prove or give evidence by referring to a reliable source or including a quote. For
example, annual meat consumption in India is approximately 4kg per person by
comparison to 78kg per person in the UK, due to ‘cultural factors…including religious
reasons’. (Source: bbc.co.uk/news/health-47057341 [accessed 25/10/2019])

• Remember to reference your work carefully. Every time you use someone else’s
idea, you will need to add a reference to show this. This reference should include the
author’s name, date of publication and the exact page number where the information
can be found. For Internet references, you should include the author’s name and
publication date. We recommend that you use the Harvard referencing system; ask
your tutor if you are unsure how this works.

• Structure your essays clearly. Include an introduction, main body and a conclusion.
Organise the content of your essay so that each paragraph has a main point and only
discusses that point. Organisation should be clear and each paragraph should have a
clear purpose.

• Make sure your essays are easy to follow. Sentences and paragraphs should flow
on to the next. Order your paragraphs in a logical way that helps the reader understand
what you are saying.

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• Make sure your essays are well presented. Essays should look professional and use
an appropriate font, size and justification.

• Include a bibliography. You will need to list all the books you read and websites you
visited to prepare for your essays in the bibliography. This is a list of books or other
sources used when researching a piece of work, including the sources that you do not
directly reference in your work but read for background information. It goes on a new
page at the end of the essay. It should be in alphabetical order, according to the
authors’ surnames.

When adding books to the bibliography, you begin with the author’s name, followed by the
date of publication, the title (italics), publisher and place of publication. Look carefully at
the punctuation in the example below.

Collie, J. and Martin, A. (2000). What’s it Like? Life and Culture in Britain Today.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

For websites you should give the exact web address of the page you found useful
and the date you accessed it. For example:
NOT www.abc.co.uk
BUT http://www.abc.co.uk/go/homepage/news/world/asia/3612844.stm

Wherever possible, you must give the author’s name.

If you use an article, you need to give the author’s name (surname, initial), the title of the
article (italics), the web address and the date you accessed the information.

For example: Brown, S. (2000). The World Today. [Available Online]

http://www.abc.co.uk/art/01/345675.stm [Accessed 10/10/08]

You should include at least SIX (6) sources and write all information in the correct
format.

Guidance

Consult your tutor if you are uncertain about any aspect of the assignment.

Submission requirements
• A single word-processed document containing your comparative essay for Task 1 and
your writing for Task 2.
• The word count for Task 1 is 900 and for Task 2 is 300.
• The Statement and Confirmation of Own Work must also be completed and attached to
your work (see front cover).
• The assignment needs to be signed and dated by your tutor.
• Deadline: You will submit your coursework according to the deadline set by your
teacher.

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Candidate checklist
Please use the following checklist to ensure that your work is ready for submission.

Have you read the NCC Education documents What is Academic

Misconduct? Guidance for Candidates and Avoiding Plagiarism and
Collusion: Guidance for Candidates and ensured that you have ❑
acknowledged all the sources that you have used in your work?
Have you completed the Statement and Confirmation of Own Work
form and attached it to your assignment? You must do this. ❑
Have you ensured that your work has not gone over or under the
recommended word count by more than 10%? ❑
Have you ensured that your work does not contain viruses and can
be run directly? ❑

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Culture Studies © NCC Education Limited 2023 - 2026